Dainfern Golf Club welcomes more than 100 new members
DAINFERN – More than 100 new members have signed up for golf at Dainfern since it reopened.
The sport of golf is back but safety is still paramount at Dainfern Golf and Residential Estate.
The golf section had a hiccup when it opened a week earlier than it was supposed to when South Africa moved to lockdown Level 3, and it was closed again until all procedures were put in place.
In the minds of players and staff alike, this is in in the past and everything is done by the book now, if not better. Like many other golf clubs, Dainfern benefitted from having a small team taking care of the greens when the course was not in use. “This is probably the best the course has looked in winter in the past five years,” smiled a proud golf director, Tim Steynberg.
“There are very few pitch marks or signs of the course being used much. It has been pumping since we opened. We used to have quiet days but now we have between 100 and 160 people every day. I think people’s love for the game has come out again.”
The golf director added that about 100 new members have signed up within two months and many of these were from the same families.
The reopening of golf has of course come with a host of safety protocols prescribed by Golf RSA, PGA South Africa and Club Management Association of Southern Africa.
Only pre-booked rounds are allowed and temperature checks and registering of information is done at the door.
Face masks must be worn when not playing and golf carts have screen dividers to separate the driver from the passenger. The restaurant was at first only open for takeaways but now serves sit-down meals. The tables and chairs are wiped down between use, and a system of green and red cones shows people whether tables are safe to sit at or not. There are sanitising stations all over the club too.
Holes on the course have been elevated so players do not touch the flags to retrieve their golf balls and course assistants, or caddies, do not carry equipment for players.
“We moved to a two-tee start but kept the 12-minute intervals instead of decreasing to 10 minutes,” Steynberg added.
“This so players do not feel hurried and there is social distancing and no contact between groups.”
The club did suffer financially during the lockdown but there were no retrenchments and all staff received salaries.
Details: Dainfern Golf and Residential Estate marketing@dainfern.co.za; 011 875 0401.
